Self-adhesive ready-made bandage for restricting stretching or bending of the metacarpophalangeal joint and of the wrist

ABSTRACT

Ready-made bandage with a self-adhesive coating on at least one side, for restricting stretching or bending of the metacarpophalangeal joint and/or of the wrist, wherein, at the head area ( 13 ) of an oblong strip ( 1 ), a short rein ( 41, 42 ) is arranged on at least one of the two longitudinal sides, encloses an angle of between 30° and 150° with the oblong strip ( 1 ) and is applied on the finger in question.

The invention relates to a ready-made bandage with a selfadhesivecoating on one side, for restricting stretching or bending of themetacarpophalangeal joint and of the wrist.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The functional dressing technique called taping is a treatment methodfor prevention and therapy of injuries, diseases and lesions of thelocomotor apparatus. The aim of taping is to purposefully simulate thecapsular ligament structures and in so doing to achieve selectivesupport and stabilizing.

The actual tape dressing is applied in strips made up of preferablynon-elastic self-adhesive tapes, so-called reins, or in conjunction withlowstretch elastic self-adhesive tapes. It protects, supports andrelieves vulnerable, injured or damaged parts of a functional unit. Itpermits selective loading within the pain-free area of movement, butprevents extreme or painful movements.

However, the application of such dressings requires expert skill andexperience and for this reason cannot generally be done by lay personswith no taping experience.

As regards the metacarpophalangeal joint, which is often exposed to veryconsiderable mechanical stress, especially when performing sportingactivities, which stress can lead to distortions and contusions, butalso to overload irritation of the capsule, the expert neverthelessrequires a ready-made bandage which is of a simple construction and atthe same time can be applied without problems, and which, especially inthe case of minor injuries, has a positive influence on the healingprocess.

The same also applies to the wrist, so that the demands made of theready-made bandage are the same as those in the case of themetacarpophalangeal joint.

However, such a ready-made bandage should also be able to be applied bythe lay person, affording the after an economic and less time-intensiveaid by means of the ready-made bandage.

The object of the invention was therefore to make available a ready-madebandage which, because of its construction, its material and itsproperties, is suitable for supporting the healing process in injuriesof the metacarpophalangeal joint or wrist by restricting the stretchingor bending capacity, and which in addition can be easily applied by theuser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object is achieved by means of a ready-made bandage having aself-adhesive coating on at least one side, for restricting stretchingor bending of the metacarpophalangeal joint and/or of the wrist,comprising an oblong strip (1) having a head area (13), a bottom area(12) and two longitudinal sides, a short rein (41,42) arranged on atleast one of the two longitudinal sides, enclosing an angle of between30° and 150° with the oblong strip, which is applied to the finger inquestion.

Furthermore, at the bottom area of the oblong strip, a first rein can bearranged on at least one of the two longitudinal sides, which first reinencloses an angle of between 30° and 150° with the oblong strip and isapplied in a circle round the lower arm proximal to the wrist.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Advantageously, the first rein and/or the short rein is arranged at anangle of 90° to the oblong strip. This also applies in the case where,instead of one first rein, two or more first reins are provided, orwhere, instead of one short rein, two or more short reins are provided.

Furthermore, the oblong strip can narrow starting from the bottom areatowards the head area.

In a first preferred embodiment of the ready-made bandage according tothe invention which is used for restricting bending of themetacarpophalangeal joint and of the wrist, and in which a first reinand a short rein are fitted in each case on the oblong strip on each ofthe two longitudinal sides, the oblong strip is about 12 cm to 30 cmlong, and, at the transverse side in the bottom area, is 3 cm to 7 cmwide, and, at the transverse side in the head area, is 1 cm to 3 cmwide, the first reins are each about 5 cm to 30 cm long and 2 cm to 6 cmwide, and the short reins are each about 3 cm to 6 cm long and 1 cm to 3cm wide.

The dimensions of the ready-made bandage are of course adapted to thesize of the hand on which the ready-made bandage is being applied. Forthe average adult hand, the individual parts of the ready-made bandagehave the following sizes:

The oblong strip is about 20 cm long, 6 cm wide on the transverse sidein the bottom area, and 2 cm wide on the transverse side at the headarea.

The first reins are 22 cm long and 5 cm wide.

The short reins are 5 cm long and 2 cm wide.

All the strips and reins can additionally have rounded corners in orderto reduce the risk of unintentional detachment of the adhered ready-madebandage.

At the middle area of the oblong strip, a second rein can be arrangedlikewise on at least one of the two longitudinal sides, which secondrein encloses an angle of between 30° and 150° with the oblong strip andis applied on the palmar surface of the hand.

The first rein, the second rein and/or the short rein are advantageouslyarranged at an angle of 90° to the oblong strip. This also applies inthe case where, instead of a first or second rein, two or more reins arein each case provided, or where, instead of one short rein, two shortreins are provided.

Furthermore, the oblong strip can narrow starting from the middle areatowards the head area.

In a second preferred embodiment of the ready-made bandage according tothe invention which is used for restricting stretching of themetacarpophalangeal joint and of the wrist, and in which a first rein, asecond rein and a short rein are in each case fitted on the oblong stripon each of the two longitudinal sides, the oblong strip is about 12 cmto 30 cm long, and, at the transverse side in the bottom area, is 3 cmto 6 cm wide, and, at the transverse side in the head area, is 1 cm to 3cm wide, the narrowing of the oblong strip starting after approximately6 cm to 22 cm measured from the transverse side in the bottom area, thefirst reins are each about 5 cm to 30 cm long and 2 cm to 6 cm wide, thesecond reins are each about 5 to 30 cm long and 2 cm to 6 cm wide, andthe short reins are each about 3 cm to 6 cm long and 1 cm to 3 cm wide.

The dimensions of the ready-made bandage are of course adapted to thesize of the hand on which the ready-made bandage is being applied. Forthe average adult hand, the individual parts of the ready-made bandagehave the following sizes:

The oblong strip is about 18 cm long, 6 cm wide on the transverse sidein the bottom area, and 2 cm wide on the transverse side at the headarea, the narrowing of the oblong strip starting after 12 cm measuredfrom the transverse side in the bottom area.

The first reins are 22 cm long and 5 cm wide.

The second reins are 22 cm long and 3.75 cm wide.

The short reins are 4 cm long and 2 cm wide.

All the strips and reins can additionally have rounded corners in orderto reduce the risk of unintentional detachment of the adhered ready-madebandage.

It has proven particularly advantageous for cuttings or recesses to beprovided at the points where the oblong strip, the first reins, thesecond reins and/or the short reins meet. These cuttings prevent theready-made bandage from tearing at the points which have the highestloading, particularly during application. Alternatively, the recessesincrease the flexibility of the ready-made bandage, so thatalternatively application is made easier.

Again preferably, the self-adhesive ready-made bandage according to theinvention is of a non-elastic woven fabric or knitted fabric. Elastic orplastic components in the longitudinal direction or transverse directionof the support material can sometimes also advantageously influence usercomfort. Furthermore, nonwovens or foams or paper can also be used ifthese have sufficient strength.

The support material can preferably be of cotton and can additionallyhave a maximum tensile force of not less than 50 N/cm and a maximumtensile force extension of less than 20%.

On the side applied to the skin, the ready-made bandage is coated withone of the known good self-adhesive compositions based on rubber(preferably a zinc rubber composition) or synthetic polymers.

The self-adhesive composition can include solvent, dispersion/emulsionsystems, but 100% self-adhesive composition systems can also be used.The compositions advantageously have other properties such as good skincompatibility or permeability to air and water vapour.

To achieve the stated effects, the self-adhesive composition can beapplied partially at about 120 g/m², for example using thermal screenprinting with a 14-mesh screen stencil with a screen thickness of 300μm.

Prior to the bandage being used, the adhesive layer is covered with ananti-adhesive sheet material, for example siliconized paper, which canadditionally be perforated for better use, or a foil of plastic.

The material can in this case be divided up into a plurality of sectionsin order to facilitate application of the ready-made bandage throughsuccessive detachment of the individual sections.

The ready-made bandage can be used universally for restrictingstretching or bending of the metacarpophalangeal joint or of the wrist.

The blank of the ready-made bandage depends on which hand the ready-madebandage is intended for. Accordingly, there are two mirror-symmetricalconfigurations of the ready-made bandage according to the invention.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the ready-made bandageaccording to the invention, and its use, are explained in greater detailwith reference to the figures described hereinbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the ready-made bandage in a simplified design thereof. Theready-made bandage (1) is made up of several sections. The centralsection is formed by an oblong strip (1) which narrows towards the headarea (13).

Provided at the head area (13) of the oblong strip (1) there is a shortrein (41) which has a rectangular shape and is arranged at an angle of90° to the orientation of the oblong strip (1).

To apply the ready-made bandage, in each case the anti-adhesive materialis first removed from the section of the ready-made bandage to beapplied.

The oblong strip (1) can then be applied flat on the palmar surface ofthe hand so that it runs from the middle finger concerned here, over thewrist and as far as the lower arm. Here, the wrist should have a flexionof at least 30°. The short rein (31) is wound tightly round the middlefinger in a circle, enclosing at least part or preferably all of thefinger. Adequate shaping of the ready-made dressing is advantageous.

FIG. 2 shows the ready-made bandage in the first preferred embodiment.The central section is formed by an oblong strip (1) which narrowstowards the head area (13). At the bottom area (12) of the oblong strip(1), reins (21, 22) are in each case fitted on both longitudinal sidesat right angles to the oblong strip (1), which reins have an essentiallyrectangular shape.

Two short reins (41, 42) are furthermore provided at the head area (13)of the oblong strip (1), which reins likewise have a rectangular shapeand are arranged at an angle of 90° to the oblong strip (1), but have asmaller surface area than the reins (21, 22).

To apply the ready-made bandage, in each case the anti-adhesive materialis first removed from the section of the ready-made bandage to beapplied.

The oblong strip (1) can then be applied on the dorsal surface of thehand so that it runs from the middle finger concerned here, over thewrist and as far as the lower arm. Here, the wrist should have a flexionof at least 30°. The short reins (41, 42) are wound tightly round themiddle finger, distally of the metacarpophalangeal joint, enclosing atleast part or preferably all of the finger.

The reins (21, 22) are guided in a circle round the lower arm, proximalto the wrist, and secured.

The carefully applied ready-made bandage is able to restrict the bendingcapacity of the middle finger and of the wrist, and an additionallyapplied anchor strip round the lower arm can further heighten the effectof the ready-made bandage.

FIG. 3 shows the ready-made bandage in the second preferred embodiment.The central section is formed by an oblong strip (1). At the bottom area(12) of the oblong strip (1), first reins (21, 22) are in each casefitted on both longitudinal sides at right angles to the oblong strip(1), which reins have an essentially rectangular shape. The oblong strip(1) narrows starting from the middle area (11) towards the head area(13). At the middle area (11), second reins (31, 32) are furthermorepresent on both longitudinal sides and at an angle of 90° to the oblongstrip (1). The second reins (31, 32) are also essentially rectangular inshape, but they have smaller dimensions than the first reins (21, 22).

Also provided at the head area (13) of the oblong strip (1) are twoshort reins (41, 42) which likewise have a rectangular shape and arearranged at an angle of 90° to the oblong strip (1), but which have asmaller surface area than the second reins (31, 32).

To apply the ready-made bandage, in each case the anti-adhesive materialis first removed from the section of the ready-made bandage to beapplied.

The oblong strip (1) can then be applied on the palmar surface of thehand so that it runs from the middle finger concerned here, over thewrist and as far as the lower arm. Here, the wrist should have a flexionof at least 30°.

The short reins (41, 42) are wound tightly round the middle finger,distally of the metacarpophalangeal joint, enclosing at least part orpreferably all of the finger.

The first reins (21, 22) are guided in a circle round the lower arm,proximal to the wrist, and secured.

The second reins (31, 32) are guided from the palmar surface of the handto the back of the hand and are at all times pressed firmly on thecorresponding areas of skin.

The carefully applied ready-made bandage is able to restrict thestretching capacity of the middle finger and of the wrist, and anadditionally applied anchor strip round the lower arm can furtherheighten the effect of the ready-made bandage.

What is claimed is:
 1. A ready-made bandage having a self-adhesivecoating on at least one side, for restricting stretching or bending ofthe metacarpophalangeal joint, the wrist, or both, comprising an oblongstrip adapted to run from a finger of a human hand, over the wrist andas far as the lower arm, and having a head area, a bottom area and twolongitudinal sides, a short rein arranged on at least one of the twolongitudinal sides, enclosing an angle of between 30° and 150° with theoblong strip, which is adapted to be applied to said finger. 2.Self-adhesive ready-made bandage according to claim 1, wherein, at thebottom area of the oblong strip, a first rein is arranged on at leastone of the two longitudinal sides, encloses an angle of between 30° and150° with the oblong strip and is adapted to be applied in a circleround the lower arm proximal to the wrist.
 3. Self-adhesive ready-madebandage according to claim 2, wherein the first rein, the short rein, orboth are arranged at an angle of 90° to the oblong strip. 4.Self-adhesive ready-made bandage according to claim 1, wherein theoblong strip narrows starting from the bottom area towards the headarea.
 5. Self-adhesive ready-made bandage according to claim 2, whereinthe two first reins and two short reins are fitted in each case on bothlongitudinal sides of the oblong strip.
 6. Self-adhesive ready-madebandage according to claim 5, wherein the oblong strip is 12 cm to 30 cmlong, and, at the transverse side in the bottom area, is 3 cm to 7 cmwide, and, at the transverse side in the head area, is 1 cm to 3 cmwide, the first reins are about 5 cm to 30 cm long, and are 2 cm to 6 cmwide, the short reins are about 3 cm to 6 cm long, and are 1 cm to 3 cmwide.
 7. Self-adhesive ready-made bandage according claim 2, wherein atthe middle area of the oblong strip, a second rein is arranged on atleast one of the two longitudinal sides, encloses an angle of between30° and 150° with the oblong strip and is adapted to be applied on thepalmar surface of the hand.
 8. Self-adhesive ready-made bandageaccording to claim 7, wherein the first rein, the second rein, the shortrein or all of said rains are arranged at an angle of 90° to the oblongstrip.
 9. Self-adhesive ready-made bandage according to claim 2, whereinthe oblong strip narrows starting from the middle area towards the headarea.
 10. Self-adhesive ready-made bandage according to claim 5, whereintwo first reins, two second reins and two short reins are fitted in eachcase on both longitudinal sides of the oblong strip.
 11. Self-adhesiveready-made bandage according to claim 10, wherein the oblong strip is 12cm to 30 cm long, and, at the transverse side in the bottom area, is 3cm to 7 cm wide, and, at the transverse side in the head area, is 1 cmto 3 cm wide, the narrowing of the oblong strip starting afterapproximately 6 cm to 22 cm, measured from the transverse side at thebottom area, the first reins are about 5 cm to 30 cm long, and are 2 cmto 6 cm wide, the second reins are about 5 cm to 30 cm long, and are 2to 6 cm wide, the short reins are about 3 cm to 6 cm long, and are 1 cmto 3 cm wide.
 12. Self-adhesive ready-made bandage according to claim11, wherein cuttings are provided at the points where the oblong strip,the first reins, the second reins and/or the short reins meet. 13.Self-adhesive ready-made bandage according to claim 1, wherein theready-made bandage is of a non-elastic support material. 14.Self-adhesive ready-made bandage according to claim 13, wherein thenon-elastic support material is a woven cotton fabric and has a maximumtensile force of not less than 50 N/cm and a maximum tensile forceextension of less than 20%.
 15. Self-adhesive ready-made bandageaccording to claim 1, wherein the ready-made bandage is covered, on itsself-adhesive side, with anti-adhesive material.
 16. Method forrestricting stretching or bending of the metacarpophalangeal joint or ofthe wrist, which comprises applying to said metacarpophalangeal joint orwrist the self-adhesive ready-made bandage according to claim 1.